Sous vide

[markem]

I just got a 3.6 pound boneless pork shoulder. I plan to do a 24 hour cook and then make pulled pork.

I've seen recipes that include the sauce while cooking and some that don't. Since I plan to use our favorite commercial sauce, I plan to leave it out and put it in after I sear the pork.

Question: when using the crock pot, I always put in a can of Dr Pepper. We like the flavor. Should I do that with this cook and if so how much do you recommend?

[T.G]

Are you still ziplock bagging or have you upgraded to a vacuum sealer, Mark?

I'd be concerned about the residual carbonation in the Dr Pepper blowing a ziplock bag open.

Maybe instead a reduction with the bag juices, Dr. Pepper and the BBQ sauce after it's all done and then mixing that in with the shredded pork. This is how I would do it if it were me cooking it. I'm not finding in-bag marinades to be all that great because of the amount of meat juice that gets trapped in there, further diluting them. I'm finding that dry rubs or fresh herbs to be more effective as they form their own stock as it cooks.

[CigarNut]

Originally Posted by T.G

Are you still ziplock bagging or have you upgraded to a vacuum sealer, Mark?

I'd be concerned about the residual carbonation in the Dr Pepper blowing a ziplock bag open.

Maybe instead a reduction with the bag juices, Dr. Pepper and the BBQ sauce after it's all done and then mixing that in with the shredded pork. This is how I would do it if it were me cooking it. I'm not finding in-bag marinades to be all that great because of the amount of meat juice that gets trapped in there, further diluting them. I'm finding that dry rubs or fresh herbs to be more effective as they form their own stock as it cooks.

I have to say that the marinade I used most definitely infused the meat with lots of onion flavor -- it probably depends upon the marinade...

[markem]

Good point Adam. I'm vac sealing but carbonation would be an issue.

[jonumberone]

Originally Posted by markem

Good point Adam. I'm vac sealing but carbonation would be an issue.

Why not just pour the soda into a bowl, let it sit and go flat before putting it into the bag?
I don't know the science behind how long it takes to get a can of soda to lose all of it's carbonation, but with increased surface area, and maybe some periodic gentle stirring, I'd be willing to bet that the soda could go into the bag somewhere between 4-6hrs.
Just a guess on my part and I'm willing to bet if anybody knows how long it would need to go flat, it's Adam, so maybe he could chime in with his thoughts on trying that.

As for the your original question, If using a full can of soda is you'r tried and true method, I would go with that after you get the soda flat.

[T.G]

LOL. I never even considered making the soda go flat for this. Durr. And, yes, you got me Dom, I do know how to make beer go flat in a hurry for cooking.

Heat it. As the temp goes up, the amount of CO2 that can be held in solution decreases so it's going to come out. Blenders work well too because they agitate it. Even though it has almost double the CO2 volumes as that of beer, I suppose soda isn't that much different, but I don't work with it much to say for certain.

In a bowl, I honestly don't know, but it will be function of the number of nucleation sites for the CO2 to come out of solution on. The greater the number, the faster it come out. Toss a little bit of salt in there, that will help it degass as the salt dissolves.

[T.G]

Yeah, I wasn't thinking about the ones like yours which are mostly oil and pulverized solids, when I said that. I was thinking more about the higher liquid content ones. I should have been more clear.

The high liquid content ones that I messed with, things that had more than just oil, they had stuff like vinegar or other acids, and more volume, they yielded almost kind of a boiled meat end result. Not what I was looking for to say the least.

[jonumberone]

Originally Posted by CigarNut

I have to say that the marinade I used most definitely infused the meat with lots of onion flavor -- it probably depends upon the marinade...

Originally Posted by T.G

Yeah, I wasn't thinking about the ones like yours which are mostly oil and pulverized solids, when I said that. I was thinking more about the higher liquid content ones. I should have been more clear.

The high liquid content ones that I messed with, things that had more than just oil, they had stuff like vinegar or other acids, and more volume, they yielded almost kind of a boiled meat end result. Not what I was looking for to say the least.

100% right, Michael. It definitely depends on the marinade.
Just to add on to what Adam said, not all marinades work the same way. Looking at your ingredients, they are all flavoring components, aside from the oil and salt. What your marinade doesn't have is a strong tenderizing component, like an acid.
Adding a tenderizing component breaks down the outer layer of the meat.
As that layer breaks down, the meat becomes more tender, and starts to release moisture. The breakdown of surface proteins and the void left by the escaping moisture allows the flavoring elements to penetrate deeper.
Left in a marinade too long, and the meat starts to breakdown too much.
Some acids can actually toughen up the meat if left in too long and some can make meat turn to mush.
You used the Anova, and the 8 hour cook time, to break down the meat. Had there also been a tenderizing component in the marinade, you likely would have ended up with a Tri tip that had an off texture.
You can still use a marinade with an acid component before cooking, but I wouldn't include it in the bag while cooking.

[CigarNut]

Thanks for the info, Dom!

[markem]

You know, Dom, if you could learn to say "Bam!" we might be able to get you a gig on the Food Channel.

[massphatness]

So to recap:

* Surface proteins
* Nucleation sites

Good talk.

[T.G]

Still messing with the roast beef idea, this time I cooked a bottom round for 19-ish hours at 133.

Flavor is mild, texture is mushy. Possible i overcooked it and that's why it's mushy, but that doesn't account for the lack of flavor. I think I'm done trying to make something edible out of this cut.

[GreekGodX]

Did some hanger steaks with fresh rosemary, salt, & pepper. 48 hours. Came out way too tender. The main vein that runs through was completely gone which was nice. But the texture wasn't good. I normally do flank steak for that long and it is much better.

I'm going to try and do some pork like Dom did. I still dream about it

[BigAsh]

Did some ahi tuna steaks last night...110 for 30 minutes...

Post-bath/pre-sear...Thai seasoning and sesame seeds


Just a light sear in hot, non-stick pan with a little oil, 20-30 seconds per side ...served with fresh avocado and some cauliflower "rice", all thai spiced...perfect rare tuna, came out great

[markem]

Originally Posted by BigAsh

Just a light sear in hot, non-stick pan with a little oil, 20-30 seconds per side ...served with fresh avocado and some cauliflower "rice", all thai spiced...perfect rare tuna, came out great

Looks amazing Keith. How did you prepare the cauliflower? We do a lot of friend cauliflower but I've never thought of using it this way.

[CigarNut]

Looks really good, Keith!

[BigAsh]

Originally Posted by CigarNut

Looks really good, Keith!

Thanks Michael...if you like fish, try it sous vide....the tuna comes out great, I've done it several times...have also done salmon with good results too...keeps the fish nice and moist

[T.G]

Cooked another tri-tip, about 3.7 lbs. This time it was actually cooked at a bit below 132F, vs last time where it was probably 134 due to my not realizing that when you calibrate the Anova IC temperature offset, it isn't saved to the IC, it only kicks in when you have the BT or Wi-Fi connected to your phone where you program the offset. I wasn't using the BT connection for the previous tri-tip, so I was almost 2 degrees higher than what I set with the dial.

Cut the time back a bit, about 6 hrs 45 min this time. I doubt that made any difference, it was just that was when the coals on the santa maria grill were ready for searing.

Much more pleased with the results this time, and I was pretty happy with the last one. This time it was actually still medium rare even after searing for a few minutes per side.

Next time I think I'll try it without any spices in the bag, just cover it with a coat of rub when it goes out to the grill for the sear.

[jonumberone]

I did not realize that it doesn't save the offset. Good to know.

I did three choice grade, inch and a half thick, porterhouse steaks on Sunday.
I've done plenty of steaks with the Anova. So far they have all been Ribeye, and all have been prime grade.
I was curious if the sous vide method did anything to transform the lower grade steaks.
As usual, the steaks were done to a perfect medium rare, and were quite tasty. However, I really didn't notice any difference in tenderness in these steaks vs the countless choice cuts that have hit my plate over the years.
I did see a difference in how moist the meat was, but I wasn't amazed, so I would call it negligible.
I think I was hoping for a better result.

I did manage to get my best sear so far with the Searzall.
I'm happy with my progress with it so far.

[BigAsh]

Originally Posted by jonumberone

I did not realize that it doesn't save the offset. Good to know.

I did three choice grade, inch and a half thick, porterhouse steaks on Sunday.
I've done plenty of steaks with the Anova. So far they have all been Ribeye, and all have been prime grade.
I was curious if the sous vide method did anything to transform the lower grade steaks.
As usual, the steaks were done to a perfect medium rare, and were quite tasty. However, I really didn't notice any difference in tenderness in these steaks vs the countless choice cuts that have hit my plate over the years.
I did see a difference in how moist the meat was, but I wasn't amazed, so I would call it negligible.
I think I was hoping for a better result.

I did manage to get my best sear so far with the Searzall.
I'm happy with my progress with it so far.

So in a "sous vide" world, is it worth the extra $$ for prime?